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          Andrew Luck made Colts' defense 'look silly' while running scout team offense

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          • Mike Wells, ESPN Staff WriterOct 14, 2017, 11:00 AM
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            • Previously worked at Indianapolis Star, covering the Indiana Pacers for nine seasons
            • Also covered Vikings for St. Paul Pioneer Press
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          INDIANAPOLIS -- The best scout quarterback many of the Indianapolis Colts defenders have faced was on the field at practice Thursday.

          Despite not having gone against a defense since Jan. 1, Andrew Luck was picking apart the Colts' starters while running Tennessee’s offense.

          “He made us look silly a couple times -- a couple pump fakes and drew some guys out of coverage,” Colts defensive coordinator Ted Monachino said. “But yeah, it’s good to see him out there. I talked to him before the period and I said, ‘Throw it wherever you need to. Take care of yourself and be conscious of where you are in your recovery process.’ It didn’t look like he was babying himself -- I know that. He went out there and made some throws down the field and drove a ball in on a short out cut. It was encouraging to see him out there.”

          Luck wasn’t a full participant in practice Thursday. He took only a handful of snaps during the 7-on-7 drills, but it's another step in his recovery from right shoulder surgery in January. Luck didn’t practice Friday, as planned, but he’s expected to be back on the practice field Saturday.

          “When I saw him, I was like, ‘Oh man, scout team. Andrew Luck is your quarterback.’ It was different,” cornerback Vontae Davis said. “You have to cover. That’s the best look you’re going to get. It’s a game-situation look. He’s working his way back, but still he’s Andrew Luck.”

          Facing a quarterback like Luck, who has increased his practice workload over the past week, is a good thing for a Colts secondary that was picked apart by San Francisco’s Brian Hoyer (353 yards) in Week 5 and will face Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota on Monday (as long as Mariota is cleared to play after missing the last game with a hamstring injury).

          “Anytime you have a guy like Andrew Luck out there running a scout -- it’s crazy he’s running the scout team -- but at the same time it’s great for the defense because he’s very, very talented,” safety Matthias Farley said. “He knows all the tricks of the trade; ultimately, he’s going to get everybody better.”